Why are gen watches so unpopular on here??

[Pesman 9,461]

Thanks for all the contributions. Some interesting thoughts. I think the brand enthusiasm v watch enthusiasm is key to this forums together with knowing you can resell a rep for pretty much what you paid for it.

I like the fact that there is a core of us on here who sell and trade whereas selling on somewhere like watchuseek is now more painful than eBay.

Brands like Mido do suffer from grey market issues in the US and probably on here but generally do OK for UK members as we just can't access Jomo and Ashford.

I guess gens are selling to a tiny minority of members who have moved beyond 'its all about the brand' and appreciate good watches that won't stop working, fall apart or that you can actually swim with.

Now, after 6 years, I actually prefer good value gen brands over reps of inflated 'super brands' manipulating prices. (I dont include Omega in that albeit their special editions are getting a bit much) So my love for the likes of Christopher Ward and similar remains.

 

My recent move to Chinese homages has been great fun. Rep money for lookylikey watches that have amazing build quality and genuine WR etc. I just need to stop..wonder how they'll sell on??

 

So eBay it is then...

 

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[BadPickle 2,748]

On 19/11/2023 at 18:21, NCRich said:

Yeah, that's me.

My post was aimed solely at you Rich, I was going to tag you in but clearly didn’t need to. 
 

 

[judas9r 914]

On 19/11/2023 at 16:05, BM284 said:

I can only echo the sentiment shared above by our fellow enthusiasts. Having had a lovely Steinhart for sale both here and the bay with little interest… but at what I would consider silly money. I guess they are just not to the majority taste - though as I’ve said here previously, I’d rather sell to one of the stand up members of this community rather than eBay. The mind sometimes boggles

That Steinhart will fly any time of year, except one payday till Xmas.

[Intresting 21,712]

Trying to sell a gen here is like trying to sell a motorbike in a bicycle forum.    100% of peeps here want, buy, and sell reps.   The percentage of people after gens is considerably less,
Microbrand enthusiasts also tend to be those who turn their noses at reps. 
You whittle down this number even further to those who are looking for a particular microbrand with a tempting discount. 

If you had a big known brand here that is offered as substantive discounts it is quite likely to move.  Bremonts, Rolex, Panerai, and Omega gens have moved here and across the ditch.  The operative being "substantive discount"

Rep crowd. unlikely target audience for gens.

[Pesman 9,461]

I guess it also shows the power those few proper luxury brands have over the rest both reps and gens!

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[shinynewbling52 178]

I think Intresting's post hit on a lot of points.  I'll add psychology to the mix as well.  When on a rep site your brain isn't as open or attenuated to gens and they're overlooked.  I bet some will switch to a gen site and see the same watch the same day and pick it up.   

I'll add that reps fill the spot of $300 to $1000 pretty well in my collection of course with exceptions but I probably pick up 5 to 1 reps to gens in that segment.  I personally am open to gens if I see one I've had on my list and see listed on a rep site but that's probably not typical RWG visitor and to be honest I hardly ever visit the specific gens for sale section of RWI.   Also for gens there are just so many options competing for dollars that you have to have an in demand model or it can take a long time to find a buyer.   I sold a bunch on WUS this year trying to undo gen and microband damage control for a bunch I've picked up this year and even on that site interest is slow and it took forever to find buyers for an Oris I had and tire kickers galore on some Certinas.  Microbrands and low end seikos.....It was almost like a 50% loss at least to get any interest with Aliexpress sales and low entry point It takes a real good price to entice buyers otherwise they would have just bought it new.   

I wanted to give WUS a shot to avoid fees but other models I would have had zero interest shown in or months of bumping I let them go on Eba.y and they sold in a month with no work and for my asking prices so I think going forward eba/y is what I will do in the future and I've got pics ready for about 10 watches I'm not even going to bother listing on WUS or any forum like RWI and RWG.  Oh, and I did list some of the gens on RWI and WUS and like you're experiencing, I received much less interest.     

 

[CurioLeo 296]

Simple truth is that the vast majority of people who buy reps want a cheap thrill. Spend a few hundred bucks, pretend they are wearing a watch worth 10s of thousands of dollars. When the hit wears off, go pick another rep grail and repeat.  You don't get that from a no name microbrand, even if they offer terrific value compared to the much more expensive watches that they typically pay homage to.  As has been said before, most rep buyers are watch name enthusiasts, not watch enthusiasts (great term @fatarms).  I have bought Omegas and Bremonts here and on RWI just to try them out but micros don't really offer anything enticing and I realise I am the exception rather than the rule. The fact is, I was only ever interested in reps to allow me to try before buying the gen and these days I don't even bother to do that as I exclusively wear my gens. My gen collection is complete and where I want it to be with a specific purpose for every piece in the watch box.  I suspect that applies to multiple current and former forum members ( shout out to @Del ) so the pool of potential buyers comprising the rare type of forum member who would buy a gen on a rep forum continues to shrink.   

[shyreplover 95]

Like others are saying, micro brands appeal to niche market.

And since this forum has a large number of british people, I'm gonna guess if you're selling gen Tag Heuer or CW it'll be sold in no time.

[edwinowl 180]

4 hours ago, CurioLeo said:

Simple truth is that the vast majority of people who buy reps want a cheap thrill. Spend a few hundred bucks, pretend they are wearing a watch worth 10s of thousands of dollars. When the hit wears off, go pick another rep grail and repeat.  You don't get that from a no name microbrand, even if they offer terrific value compared to the much more expensive watches that they typically pay homage to.  As has been said before, most rep buyers are watch name enthusiasts, not watch enthusiasts (great term @fatarms).  I have bought Omegas and Bremonts here and on RWI just to try them out but micros don't really offer anything enticing and I realise I am the exception rather than the rule. The fact is, I was only ever interested in reps to allow me to try before buying the gen and these days I don't even bother to do that as I exclusively wear my gens. My gen collection is complete and where I want it to be with a specific purpose for every piece in the watch box.  I suspect that applies to multiple current and former forum members ( shout out to @Del ) so the pool of potential buyers comprising the rare type of forum member who would buy a gen on a rep forum continues to shrink.   

Spot on post and nailed it. 
However your gen collection will Never be complete. Just sayin. 

[CurioLeo 296]

3 hours ago, edwinowl said:

Spot on post and nailed it. 
However your gen collection will Never be complete. Just sayin. 

Trust me, mine is. It dropped from 60+ to a very,  very focused watchbox of 18 and we aren't talking 18 Seikos here. 

[edwinowl 180]

16 minutes ago, CurioLeo said:

Trust me, mine is. It dropped from 60+ to a very,  very focused watchbox of 18 and we aren't talking 18 Seikos here. 

Nobody’s gen collection is ever complete. Trust me. 

[Fray Jason 25]

18 minutes ago, edwinowl said:

Nobody’s gen collection is ever complete. Trust me. 

Not with that attitude, no. 

I mean, how many Pogues in those 18 Seikos?

[FudgyDocker 3,504]

Well, in my gen box, I have everything from £200 to £2,500. I've no doubt that the micros in that box won't be of interest to most except me. Like Perry though, I bought most because they look amazing and appealed to me.

I even have a Filippo Loreti that most people would laugh about, but the dial on it is genuinely beautiful and the watches are surprisingly well-made. I have noticed that their current batch of watches are now stamped Swiss Made, and have Swiss SoProd movements, so they are definitely upping their game. 

[CurioLeo 296]

9 hours ago, edwinowl said:

Nobody’s gen collection is ever complete. Trust me. 

It's a 3 x 6 box.  One row for form. One row for function. One row for haute horlogerie that encompasses form and function. Each row comprises a single brand that, for me, best demonstrates a devotion to form, function and their combination.

 

Then there are the 6 columns. Extremely rare (actually the only standalone column that can be independent of the row, but the haute horlogerie watch is this column is the same brand as the row), special dial (officially limited editions), solid gold (formal), two tone, complications and sports.

 

On top of those criteria, there are utmost personal reasons, which due to circumstances will never change, for the choice of both the brands and the specific watch from that brand. I have spent almost every day of the last 7 months consolidating 60+ watches with an average value around 10k down to those 18 watches. Even the box itself is a  work of art made to order. I assure you, my collection is complete as far as I am concerned. Are there or will there be other watches that I will like ? Of course. Will they meet ALL the criteria to dislodge one of the incumbent occupants of the watch box ? EXTREMELY unlikely. 

[GingerApple 7,296]

35 minutes ago, CurioLeo said:

60+ watches with an average value around 10k

You spent 600k+ on watches! Fuckadoodledoo, no wonder you consolidated!!!! 

[CurioLeo 296]

56 minutes ago, GingerJesus said:

You spent 600k+ on watches! Fuckadoodledoo, no wonder you consolidated!!!! 

I have been fortunate financially.... sadly, there always seems to be a balancing act in life, my friend. My wife of 32 wonderful years (she was 51, we were 9 days apart) passed away in her sleep 7 months ago. She always insisted I stop fucking around with far too many "toy watches" as she called them and get serious about reducing the collection with an emphasis on quality over quantity (I know, 10K isn't pocket change, but it is all relative, right ?). Hence the manical devotion to consolidation and razor sharp focus on what goes into the box. 

[GingerApple 7,296]

23 minutes ago, CurioLeo said:

My wife of 32 wonderful years (she was 51, we were 9 days apart) passed away in her sleep 7 months ago. 

I'm so sorry mate. The true value of things comes rapidly back into focus. X

[CurioLeo 296]

1 minute ago, GingerJesus said:

I'm so sorry mate. The true value of things comes rapidly back into focus. X

All good, it is what it is.  

[Intresting 21,712]

4 hours ago, CurioLeo said:

 My wife of 32 wonderful years (she was 51, we were 9 days apart) passed away in her sleep 7 months ago.

deepest condolences.  Did not ever see that posted here.  Trust you are managing. You never really move on, just manage.

[CurioLeo 296]

14 minutes ago, Intresting said:

deepest condolences.  Did not ever see that posted here.  Trust you are managing. You never really move on, just manage.

Thank you. Indeed, all I can do is accept the situation and adapt to a new normal.  When you spent your entire adult life glued at the hip and literally wake up one day to find yourself single and your world redefined, it take some serious Zen disposition to adjust.  I have learned to live in the moment.  A daily reminder in case I ever forget....

[edwinowl 180]

4 hours ago, CurioLeo said:

Thank you. Indeed, all I can do is accept the situation and adapt to a new normal.  When you spent your entire adult life glued at the hip and literally wake up one day to find yourself single and your world redefined, it take some serious Zen disposition to adjust.  I have learned to live in the moment.  A daily reminder in case I ever forget....

My sympathies to you and yours. 
When my father passed always have one watch which reminds me of him as I bought it near the time my explorer 2. 
Still stand by my original Claim however you will have another before you leave this Earth. 
Like to see your collection mind you. 

[CurioLeo 296]

2 hours ago, edwinowl said:

My sympathies to you and yours. 
When my father passed always have one watch which reminds me of him as I bought it near the time my explorer 2. 
Still stand by my original Claim however you will have another before you leave this Earth. 
Like to see your collection mind you. 

Another watch or another wife  ? I suppose there is a higher chance of a watch than a wife ..... 

I will share the collection soon, not quite ready to go full on public with it yet. I will share that function is Rolex (albeit not your usual suspects), form is Cartier and the haute horlogerie combination is Girard Perregaux.